A massive fire ripped through a Brooklyn building housing three restaurants on Saturday evening, injuring six FDNY firefighters and triggering a Mayday call after a smoke explosion rocked the scene.
Flames erupted just before 5:30 p.m. at a commercial building on North 5th Street between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street in Williamsburg. The blaze started in one restaurant and quickly spread into the two adjoining eateries, the New York Post reported. FDNY crews escalated the response to a four-alarm fire, the second-highest classification, as the situation deteriorated.
About 35 minutes into the operation, a smoke explosion erupted inside the structure. Firefighters on scene issued a Mayday call, the emergency distress signal that means crews are in immediate danger. A localized section of the roof then collapsed, forcing firefighters to evacuate the building before regrouping and re-entering to fight the blaze.
Six firefighters sustained minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals for treatment. No patrons were inside the building at the time of the explosion, and no other injuries were reported. Fire officials said the blaze was brought under control around 8:30 p.m., roughly three hours after it started.
One of the restaurants in the building, Juliette, has been a Williamsburg fixture for more than 20 years. An unnamed witness described the moment the fire became visible from outside.
"I saw a big cloud of fire basically burst out of... the restaurant Juliette."
The New York City Department of Buildings dispatched inspectors to the site after the fire was extinguished to assess whether the building remained structurally sound. The results of that assessment have not been released.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. FDNY officials have not identified which of the three restaurants was the point of origin, and the names of the other two eateries have not been publicly disclosed.
Saturday's fire is a reminder of what FDNY crews walk into every shift, and what the city owes them. A smoke explosion, a roof giving way, a Mayday call, and six men still went back inside to finish the job. The people who run toward danger deserve a city that never takes that for granted.
